"Did you ask "em if they would take a gla.s.s of any thing?" asked Altamont.
Grady came out--"He says, will you take any thing to drink?" the domestic asked of them; at which Blanche, amused with the artless question, broke out into a pretty little laugh, and asked of Mrs.
Bonner, "Shall we take any thing to drink?"
"Well, you may take it or lave it," said Mr. Grady, who thought his offer slighted, and did not like the contemptuous manners of the newcomers, and so left them.
"Will we take any thing to drink?" Blanche asked again: and again began to laugh.
"Grady," bawled out a voice from the chamber within:--a voice that made Mrs. Bonner start.
Grady did not answer: his song was heard from afar off, from the kitchen, his upper room, where Grady was singing at his work.
"Grady, my coat!" again roared the voice from within.
"Why, that is not Mr. Strong"s voice," said the Sylphide, still half laughing. "Grady my coat!--Bonner, who is Grady my coat? We ought to go away."
Bonner still looked quite puzzled at the sound of the voice which she had heard.
The bedroom door here opened and the individual who had called out "Grady, my coat," appeared without the garment in question.
He nodded to the women, and walked across the room. "I beg your pardon, ladies. Grady, bring my coat down, sir! Well, my dears, it"s a fine day, and we"ll have a jolly lark at----"
He said no more; for here Mrs. Bonner, who had been looking at him with scared eyes, suddenly shrieked out, "Amory! Amory!" and fell back screaming and fainting in her chair.
The man, so apostrophized, looked at the woman an instant, and, rushing up to Blanche, seized her and kissed her. "Yes, Betsy," he said, "by G--it is me. Mary Bonner knew me. What a fine gal we"ve grown! But it"s a secret, mind. I"m dead, though I"m your father. Your poor mother don"t know it. What a pretty gal we"ve grown! Kiss me--kiss me close, my Betsy! D--it, I love you: I"m your old father."
Betsy or Blanche looked quite bewildered, and began to scream too --once, twice, thrice; and it was her piercing shrieks which Captain Costigan heard as he walked the court below.
At the sound of these shrieks the perplexed parent clasped his hands (his wristbands were open, and on one brawny arm you could see letters tattooed in blue), and, rushing to his apartment, came back with an eau de Cologne bottle from his grand silver dressing-case, with the fragrant contents of which he began liberally to sprinkle Bonner and Blanche.
The screams of these women brought the other occupants of the chamber into the room: Grady from his kitchen, and Strong from his apartment in the upper story. The latter at once saw from the aspect of the two women what had occurred.
"Grady, go and wait in the court," he said, "and if any body comes --you understand me."
"Is it the play-actress and her mother?" said Grady.
"Yes--confound you--say that there"s n.o.body in Chambers, and the party"s off for to-day."
"Shall I say that, sir? and after I bought them bokays?" asked Grady of his master.
"Yes," said Amory, with a stamp of his foot; and Strong going to the door, too, reached it just in time to prevent the entrance of Captain Costigan, who had mounted the stair.
The ladies from the theatre did not have their treat to Greenwich, nor did Blanche pay her visit to f.a.n.n.y Bolton on that day. And Cos, who took occasion majestically to inquire of Grady what the mischief was, and who was crying?--had for answer that "twas a woman, another of them, and that they were, in Grady"s opinion, the cause of "most all the mischief in the world.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
IN WHICH PEN BEGINS TO DOUBT ABOUT HIS ELECTION.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
While Pen, in his own county, was thus carrying on his selfish plans and parliamentary schemes, news came to him that Lady Rockminster had arrived at Baymouth, and had brought with her our friend Laura. At the announcement that Laura his sister was near him, Pen felt rather guilty. His wish was to stand higher in her esteem, perhaps, than in that of any other person in the world. She was his mother"s legacy to him. He was to be her patron and protector in some sort. How would she brave the news which he had to tell her; and how should he explain the plans which he was meditating? He felt as if neither he nor Blanche could bear Laura"s dazzling glance of calm scrutiny, and as if he would not dare to disclose his worldly hopes and ambitions to that spotless judge. At her arrival at Baymouth, he wrote a letter thither which contained a great number of fine phrases and protests of affection, and a great deal of easy satire and raillery; in the midst of all which Mr. Pen could not help feeling that he was in a panic, and that he was acting like a rogue and hypocrite.
How was it that a single country-girl should be the object of fear and trembling to such an accomplished gentleman as Mr. Pen? His worldly tactics and diplomacy, his satire and knowledge of the world, could not bear the test of her purity, he felt somehow. And he had to own to himself that his affairs were in such a position, that he could not tell the truth to that honest soul. As he rode from Clavering to Baymouth he felt as guilty as a school-boy, who doesn"t know his lesson and is about to face the awful master. For is not truth the master always, and does she not have the power and hold the book?
Under the charge of her kind, though somewhat wayward and absolute, patroness, Lady Rockminster, Laura had seen somewhat of the world in the last year, had gathered some accomplishments, and profited by the lessons of society. Many a girl who had been accustomed to that too great tenderness in which Laura"s early life had been pa.s.sed, would have been unfitted for the changed existence which she now had to lead. Helen worshiped her two children, and thought, as home-bred women will, that all the world was made for them, or to be considered after them. She tended Laura with a watchfulness of affection which never left her. If she had a headache, the widow was as alarmed as if there had never been an aching head before in the world. She slept and woke, read, and moved under her mother"s fond superintendence, which was now withdrawn from her, along with the tender creature whose anxious heart would beat no more. And painful moments of grief and depression no doubt Laura had, when she stood in the great careless world alone. n.o.body heeded her griefs or her solitude. She was not quite the equal, in social rank, of the lady whose companion she was, or of the friends and relatives of the imperious, but kind old dowager.
Some, very likely, bore her no good-will--some, perhaps, slighted her: it might have been that servants were occasionally rude; their mistress certainly was often. Laura not seldom found herself in family meetings, the confidence and familiarity of which she felt were interrupted by her intrusion; and her sensitiveness of course was wounded at the idea that she should give or feel this annoyance. How many governesses are there in the world, thought cheerful Laura--how many ladies, whose necessities make them slaves and companions by profession! What bad tempers and coa.r.s.e unkindness have not these to encounter! How infinitely better my lot is with these really kind and affectionate people than that of thousands of unprotected girls! It was with this cordial spirit that our young lady adapted herself to her new position; and went in advance of her fortune with a trustful smile.
Did you ever know a person who met Fortune in that way, whom the G.o.ddess did not regard kindly? Are not even bad people won by a constant cheerfulness and a pure and affectionate heart? When the babes in the wood, in the ballad, looked up fondly and trustfully at those notorious rogues whom their uncle had set to make away with the little folks, we all know how one of the rascals relented, and made away with the other--not having the heart to be unkind to so much innocence and beauty. Oh happy they who have that virgin, loving trust and sweet smiling confidence in the world, and fear no evil because they think none! Miss Laura Bell was one of these fortunate persons; and besides the gentle widow"s little cross, which, as we have seen, Pen gave her, had such a sparkling and brilliant _koh-i-noor_ in her bosom, as is even more precious than that famous jewel; for it not only fetches a price, and is retained by its owner in another world where diamonds are stated to be of no value, but here, too, is of inestimable worth to its possessor; is a talisman against evil, and lightens up the darkness of life, like Cogia Ha.s.san"s famous stone.
So that before Miss Bell had been a year in Lady Rockminster"s house, there was not a single person in it whose love she had not won by the use of this talisman. From the old lady to the lowest dependent of her bounty, Laura had secured the good-will and kindness of every body.
With a mistress of such a temper, my lady"s woman (who had endured her mistress for forty years, and had been clawed and scolded and jibed every day and night in that s.p.a.ce of time), could not be expected to have a good temper of her own; and was at first angry against Miss Laura, as she had been against her ladyship"s fifteen preceding companions. But when Laura was ill at Paris, this old woman nursed her in spite of her mistress, who was afraid of catching the fever, and absolutely fought for her medicine with Martha from Fairoaks, now advanced to be Miss Laura"s own maid. As she was recovering, Grandjean the chef wanted to kill her by the numbers of delicacies which he dressed for her, and wept when she ate her first slice of chicken. The Swiss major-domo of the house celebrated Miss Bell"s praises in almost every European language, which he spoke with indifferent incorrectness; the coachman was happy to drive her out; the page cried when he heard she was ill; and Calverley and Coldstream (those two footmen, so large, so calm ordinarily, and so difficult to move), broke out into extraordinary hilarity at the news of her convalescence, and intoxicated the page at a wine shop, to _fete_ Laura"s recovery. Even Lady Diana Pynsent (our former acquaintance Mr.
Pynsent had married by this time), Lady Diana, who had had a considerable dislike to Laura for some time, was so enthusiastic as to say that she thought Miss Bell was a very agreeable person, and that grandmamma had found a great _trouvaille_ in her. All this good-will and kindness Laura had acquired, not by any arts, not by any flattery, but by the simple force of good-nature, and by the blessed gift of pleasing and being pleased.
On the one or two occasions when he had seen Lady Rockminster, the old lady, who did not admire him, had been very pitiless and abrupt with our young friend, and perhaps Pen expected when he came to Baymouth to find Laura installed in her house in the quality of humble companion, and treated no better than himself. When she heard of his arrival she came running down stairs, and I am not sure that she did not embrace him in the presence of Calverley and Coldstream: not that those gentleman ever told: if the _fractus...o...b..s_ had come to a smash, if Laura, instead of kissing Pen, had taken her scissors and snipped off his head--Calverly and Coldstream would have looked on impavidly, without allowing a grain of powder to be disturbed by the calamity.
Laura had so much improved in health and looks that Pen could not but admire her. The frank and kind eyes which met his, beamed with good health; the cheek which he kissed blushed with beauty. As he looked at her, artless and graceful, pure and candid, he thought he had never seen her so beautiful. Why should he remark her beauty now so much, and remark too to himself that he had not remarked it sooner? He took her fair trustful hand and kissed it fondly: he looked in her bright clear eyes, and read in them that kindling welcome which he was always sure to find there. He was affected and touched by the tender tone and the pure sparkling glance; their innocence smote him somehow and moved him.
"How good you are to me, Laura--sister!" said Pen, "I don"t deserve that you should--that you should be so kind to me."
"Mamma left you to me," she said, stooping down and brushing his forehead with her lips hastily. "You know you were to come to me when you were in trouble, or to tell me when you were very happy: that was our compact, Arthur, last year, before we parted. Are you very happy now, or are you in trouble, which is it?" and she looked at him with an arch glance of kindness. "Do you like going into Parliament? Do you intend to distinguish yourself there? How I shall tremble for your first speech!"
"Do you know about the Parliament plan, then?" Pen asked.
"Know?--all the world knows! I have heard it talked about many times.
Lady Rockminster"s doctor talked about it to-day. I daresay it will be in the Chatteris paper to-morrow. It is all over the county that Sir Francis Clavering, of Clavering, is going to retire, in behalf of Mr.
Arthur Pendennis, of Fairoaks; and that the young and beautiful Miss Blanche Amory is--"
"What! that too?" asked Pendennis.
"That, too, dear Arthur. _Tout se sait_, as somebody would say, whom I intend to be very fond of; and who I am sure is very clever and pretty. I have had a letter from Blanche. The kindest of letters. She speaks so warmly of you, Arthur! I hope--I know she feels what she writes. When is it to be, Arthur? Why did you not tell me? I may come and live with you then, mayn"t I?"
"My home is yours, dear Laura, and every thing I have," Pen said. "If I did not tell you, it was because--because--I do not know: nothing is decided as yet. No words have pa.s.sed between us. But you think Blanche could be happy with me--don"t you? Not a romantic fondness, you know.
I have no heart, I think; I"ve told her so: only a sober-sided attachment: and want my wife on one side of the fire and my sister on the other, Parliament in the session and Fairoaks in the holidays, and my Laura never to leave me until somebody who has a right comes to take her away."
Somebody who has a right--somebody with a right! Why did Pen as he looked at the girl and slowly uttered the words, begin to feel angry and jealous of the invisible somebody with the right to take her away?
Anxious, but a minute ago, how she would take the news regarding his probable arrangements with Blanche, Pen was hurt somehow that she received the intelligence so easily, and took his happiness for granted.
"Until somebody comes," Laura said, with a laugh, "I will stay at home and be aunt Laura, and take care of the children when Blanche is in the world. I have arranged it all. I am an excellent house-keeper. Do you know I have been to market at Paris with Mrs. Beck, and have taken some lessons from M. Grandjean. And I have had some lessons in Paris in singing too, with the money which you sent me, you kind boy: and I can sing much better now: and I have learned to dance, though not so well as Blanche, and when you become a minister of state, Blanche shall present me:" and with this, and with a provoking good-humor, she performed for him the last Parisian courtesy.
Lady Rockminster came in while this courtesy was being performed, and gave to Arthur one finger to shake; which he took, and over which he bowed as well as he could, which, in truth, was very clumsily.
"So you are going to be married, sir," said the old lady.